Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 75
तिष्ठंति राजसा मध्ये ह्यधो गच्छंति तामसाः । सत्त्वाहारैः सत्त्ववृत्त्या स्वर्गगामी भवेत्ततः
tiṣṭhaṃti rājasā madhye hyadho gacchaṃti tāmasāḥ | sattvāhāraiḥ sattvavṛttyā svargagāmī bhavettataḥ
Von Rajas Getriebene verweilen in der Mitte; von Tamas Beherrschte sinken hinab. Doch durch sattvige Speise und sattvige Lebensführung wird man zum Wanderer gen Himmel (zu höheren Bereichen).
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa convention)
Scene: Tripartite allegory: three paths—one smoky/dark descending (tamas), one busy marketplace-like level path (rajas), one bright lotus-lined ascending stairway (sattva) with pilgrims carrying waterpots and prayer beads.
FAQs
Cultivating sattva—especially through food and conduct—uplifts one’s destiny, while tamas leads downward.
No specific tīrtha is praised; it is a general ethical-spiritual teaching.
A practical observance is implied: adopting sāttvika āhāra (diet) and sāttvika vṛtti (conduct).